No Governor
June 16, 2010 - by
President Obama rolled out his biggest weapon yet in his battle to get on top of his spreading oil-slick political crisis: his own oratorical power – and the Oval Office.
He’s making progress, but he’s still in catch-up mode.
Things might have been different if Obama had been a governor instead of a senator.
Governors learn – the hard way, sometimes – to react quickly to disasters. They understand that it’s vital to take charge – and be seen as taking charge.
They also learn – as Governor Hunt once told me – that government bureaucrats have three default reactions in these situations: They minimize the problem, they don’t always see and hear what’s happening on the ground and they always have a reason why something can’t be done.
The executive’s job is to confront all three reactions – and get action.
Mike Easley was a near-invisible governor. But even he understood the importance of being there immediately, even before the hurricane hit.
Obama is learning the governors’ lesson the hard way.
Posted in General, National Democrats
No Governor
June 16, 2010/
President Obama rolled out his biggest weapon yet in his battle to get on top of his spreading oil-slick political crisis: his own oratorical power – and the Oval Office.
He’s making progress, but he’s still in catch-up mode.
Things might have been different if Obama had been a governor instead of a senator.
Governors learn – the hard way, sometimes – to react quickly to disasters. They understand that it’s vital to take charge – and be seen as taking charge.
They also learn – as Governor Hunt once told me – that government bureaucrats have three default reactions in these situations: They minimize the problem, they don’t always see and hear what’s happening on the ground and they always have a reason why something can’t be done.
The executive’s job is to confront all three reactions – and get action.
Mike Easley was a near-invisible governor. But even he understood the importance of being there immediately, even before the hurricane hit.
Obama is learning the governors’ lesson the hard way.
Posted in General, National Democrats